Benefit Concerts
LiveAid to One Love: Some of the highest grossing benefit concerts
1. Live Aid was a 16-hour global concert broadcast viewed by more than one billion people on July 13, 1985, with more than 70 acts in all that performed at London’s Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia’s JFK stadium. It raised more than $100 million for humanitarian efforts in Africa. The lineups at JFK Stadium and Wembley Stadium featured some of the world’s biggest pop stars, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and, on both continents, Phil Collins.
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2. Hope For Haiti raised $66 million, according to Entertainment Industry Foundation. Pictured here is Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, and Keith Urban perform during the Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief telethon on Jan. 22, 2010, in Los Angeles.
Handout, Getty Images
3. 12-12-12 The Concert For Sandy Relief raised $35 million in ticket sales USA TODAY reported. Pictured here Bruce Springsteen performs during 12-12-12 The Concert For Sandy Relief on Dec. 12, 2012, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
DON EMMERT, AFP/Getty Images
4. George Strait’s Hand in Hand Texas benefit concert raised $44 million, according to organizers. George Strait and Lyle Lovett perform onstage during the concert on Sept. 12, 2017, at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas. They were joined by special guests Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Lyle Lovett, and Robert Early Keen.
Rick Diamond, Getty Images
5. Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together benefit concert raised raised $23 million on Nov. 2, 2012, to support victims impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Steven Tyler, Jimmy Fallon, Bruce Springsteen, and Billy Joel performed in the concert from New York, and it aired on NBC Universal networks. The telethon also featured performances by Christina Aguilera, Sting, Aerosmith, and Mary J. Blige.
Handout, Getty Images
6. Band Together Bay Area: A Benefit Concert for North Bay Fire Relief raised $17 million for recovery efforts after the North Bay Fires, according to the San Francisco nonprofit that organized the event, Tipping Point Community. Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds performed the benefit concert at AT&T Park on Nov. 9, 2017, in San Francisco. Other performers included Metallica, Dead & Company, G-Eazy, Rancid and Raphael Saadiq in front of nearly 40,000 people.
Steve Jennings, WireImage Via Getty Images
7. One Love Manchester raised about $9 million, according to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund. Pictured here is Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande performing on stage at the One Love Manchester benefit concert on June 4, 2017, in Manchester, England.
Getty Images
8. Farm Aid’s debut in 1985 raised $7 million, according to the nonprofit’s website. Farm Aid is an annual benefit concert started by Willie Nelson to raise money to assist U.S. farmers. Pictured here Willie Nelson performs onstage at the benefit festival in Champaign, Illinois, on Sept. 22, 1985. Performers included Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and many more in front of a crowd of 80,000 people.
Steve Kagan, Getty Images
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